By Griffin Jones | California Black Media
United Against Hate mural in Oakland CA, photo by Griffin Jones CBM Oct. 16,
Community and civic leaders in Oakland gathered at Chinatown’s Wilma Chan Park on Oct. 16 for the unveiling of a new mural symbolizing unity, strength, and peace as hate crimes continue to rise across the Golden State.
This year, the City of Oakland opted to recognize United Against Hate week by highlighting art, bringing on legendary street art crew the Illuminaries to paint the nearly 40-foot mural. The mural, titled “Together, We Rise,” was unveiled Oct. 16, marking the beginning of United Against Hate week, which runs from Oct. 19-25.
The weeklong event was founded in 2018 in response to the sharp rise in hate crimes based on race, gender, religion, disability and sexual orientation across California and around the country at the time.
“Chinatown was the epicenter of troubling assaults and hate crimes that happened to our seniors. The fear continues through today,” Oakland City Councilmember Charlene Wang told the audience.
In every community, she said, “There’s always a feeling of, ‘will anybody care about the issues about my community?’ This event shows that Oakland steps up to the plate. I see all the people in the audience. It’s not just one skin color. This is such a fabric that defines our great city. And I could not be more moved and thankful.”
A recent report from Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office shows that reported hate crimes across the state increased by 2.7%, rising from 1,970 in 2023 to 2,023 in 2024.
Between 2023 and 2024, recorded hate crimes targeting religious identity increased — specifically anti-Jewish crimes. According to the report, hate crimes aimed at sexual orientation and gender identity also surged. By contrast, racial incidents went down, with Black and Asian communities experiencing a small decrease in reported hate crimes. Anti-Black events remain the most prevalent, at 494 recorded incidents in California in 2024.
“Together, We Rise” was presented by a coalition of organizations, including the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, which contains the state’s Civil Rights Department, and a number of local organizations: Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council, Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Clubs, Toishan Benevolent Association, and the San Jose Sharks.
The mural, which spans the side of a three-story building at 10th and Jackson Streets, depicts an intricate dragon known as the “Oakness Monster” rising from Lake Merritt. The dragon holds two objects: a peace sign and a small Earth. A panther, a paper crane and a lantern encircle the dragon, whose scales are coming off, revealing a vivid mosaic that represents Oakland’s rich multicultural history.
The word “Together” is painted along the base of the mural, each letter filled in by third graders at nearby Lincoln Elementary School, who were asked to add their names to the piece.
According to Oakland Illuminaries painter Tim Hon said the scales represent the “shedding of skin, a transformation — coming into a new era.”
At the state level, changes are coming in the next year that will bolster civic response to hate crimes. Tomiquia Moss, secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, told California Black Media (CBM) that, beginning in July 2026, the agency will be split in two: the California Housing and Homelessness Agency (CHHA) and the Business and Consumer Services Agency.
“Now is more important than ever,” Moss said. “We’ve seen such a significant increase in hate. The new agency, she said, “will allow us to take a holistic approach to how we keep our communities healthy and resilient and strong against the hate that’s happening.”
A hotline specifically for anonymously reporting hate crimes, called California Vs. Hate, was started in 2023 by the Civil Rights Department (CRD). In 2024, the hotline received a total of 1,200 reports of hate, running the gamut from verbal assaults to physical attacks.
Between 2023 and 2024, 44% of hotline reports mentioned racial or ethnic bias, followed by gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation (23%), religion (13%), and disability status (12%).
“Whatever type of hate occurs, we want to make sure people have resources to access. The anonymous California Vs. Hate hotline allows folks to share what’s going on for them and for trained staff to connect them with community resources.” Moss said this includes community-based legal and mental health support for victims who report.
Edreece Arghandiwal, co-founder of the Oakland Roots, and an organizer of the mural, told CBM that “design and beautiful things help shape moral decisions. You walk [the mural] and see it and your day gets better because it’s so beautiful.”
“Sometimes it feels like hate comes in waves of relentlessness,” Arghandiwal said. “It’s important that positive messages meet the same energy and relentlessness. We need to be completely unapologetic about messaging around unity.”
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